This exhibition invites visitors to explore the history of Chile through one of its most familiar yet revealing objects: money. Coins and banknotes have not only facilitated economic exchange, but have also reflected the political, social and cultural processes that have shaped the country. In this sense, numismatics, as an auxiliary science of history, allows these pieces to be interpreted as documentary sources and offers a valuable educational tool for understanding the past.

From rudimentary colonial coinage to modern forms of fiat currency, the development of the Chilean monetary system reflects the transition from imperial rule to the construction of a republic. Following independence, under the government of Bernardo O’Higgins, the first national coins were introduced, marking the beginning of a distinct monetary identity. Along the way, currency became a vehicle for symbols, ideas and aspirations: the assertion of sovereignty, the consolidation of the state, economic transformation, and moments of crisis and change.

The pieces gathered here (whether official coins in circulation or exceptional and privately issued items) allow us to trace changes in materials, minting techniques and design. They also reveal the incorporation of figures and emblems that helped shape national identity, including O’Higgins himself, whose image has been one of the most frequently represented in Chilean monetary history.

This exhibition also highlights the role of Casa de Moneda, a key institution since the eighteenth century, not only in the production of Chilean currency but also in the minting of coins for other countries.

This collection invites to look beyond economic value and to recognise in each piece a historical document that connects past and present, while bearing witness to Chilean society’s constant adaptation to the challenges of its time.